


Bad Company

by magickmoons



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Coda, Episode Tag, Episode: s13e23 Let the Good Times Roll, Gen, Hopeful Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 09:06:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14829374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magickmoons/pseuds/magickmoons
Summary: Michael contacts Castiel with an offer.





	Bad Company

Cas stared at the map displayed on his laptop. Confirmed sightings of Michael in one color, suspected appearances in another. He tried desperately to make any sense of the locations, to find any pattern that might tell them what Michael was planning, but it eluded him. The crappy motel room chair creaked disturbingly beneath him as he slumped in resignation. He shook his head; there was nothing. No pattern to timing, no significance that any of them could divine about the locations, no disturbances reported. Whatever he was planning, he had locked down tight, and Cas couldn't help but feel that they were running out of time -- that Dean was running out of time.

His cell phone rang and he answered it absently, expecting to hear Sam or Jack or Mary, each holed up in a similar room in a different area of the country, trying to cover as much ground as possible.

"Hey, Cas!"

"Dean!" His reply was automatic, filled with hope and elation, and past his lips before he could think twice.

Silence. His heart fell.

"Michael," he amended dryly.

"Very good, Castiel."

Cas nearly snarled at the condescending tone tainting that well-loved voice. "What do you want?" He switched the call to speaker and pulled up the texting function to alert Sam of the situation.

"Just to talk to you. I wouldn't bother trying to trace this call; this phone is going in the trash the minute I hang up, and I won't be staying at this location."

Sam had responded immediately that he would have Charlie trace the call. But unless they had someone already in the immediate area, they stood no chance of capturing Michael. This time, Cas added mentally, trying to force some positivity into his thoughts.

"Let Dean go, Michael, and we can work something out."

Michael chuckled. "Listen to you, Castiel, trying to pretend that you have the power in this situation. You are so different from my Castiel; he would have the power. But you... you seemed so ... powerless, just an impotent, broken angel. You knew that this was always how it would turn out, you could have stopped Dean -- you should have stopped him -- yet you gave way so easily."

Cas bit his lip to keep from protesting, to keep from agreeing, to keep from begging Michael to end this game.

Michael chuckled, almost as if he could see Cas's reaction. "But now I wonder if I was too hasty in my judgment. These past few weeks making my way through my vessel's memories, I have learned that you have much more in common with my Castiel that I first saw. God, Castiel -- you stepped in as God. That's ... impressive.

"Join me, Castiel."

Cas paused, shocked. "I was unaware you had such a sense of humor, Michael. Ours certainly didn't."

"Not a joke, Brother. At first, I thought you just as weak and pathetic as the rest of the inhabitants of this perfect,soft, easy world -- nothing at all like my Castiel. But after what I've learned ...  Ambition, ruthlessness, focus -- you have such promise."

"No." Cas stared at the phone, willing a message from Sam or Charlie, saying they had the location, they had someone there to capture Michael, but it stayed stubbornly blank.

"Not so quickly, Castiel. I would even agree to spare your pets. Well, some of them."

"They are not my pets," Cas growled. "They are my friends, my family. And my answer is no."

Michael's voice was cold when he answered, "You may regret that, Castiel. I have been making arrangements and the time is at hand. This offer will not be repeated."

"We will stop you."

Michael chuckled. "Oh, Castiel. You would destroy this vessel? Your friend? Or is this one family to you?" He lowered his voice. "I can tell you how he feels about you ..."

"I know that Dean would rather die than be held captive, an unwilling witness to humanity's subjugation to your tyranny."

"You sure about that, Castiel?"

"Look through his memories if you doubt me."

There was silence. Cas gave Michael enough time to see the truth of his statement.

"Agree to leave Dean, to leave this dimension, and I will let you live."

"Don't lie to me, Castiel. You think I don't know that you are allied with that group of rabble rousers from my world? We both know there is no way they'd let me live."

Cas glared into the nothingness of the shabby motel room. He didn't have any true bargaining chips here.

"This is your last chance --" Michael's voice choked off.

"Cas! Can you hear me?"

"Dean --"

"Shut up and listen. You do what you have to do, man."

Cas held his breath as Dean growled in frustration at the other end of the line.

"Virginia. Heading to Danville ... fuck off! ... Kill this bastard."

Cas sat, alone and helpless, only able to listen as Dean fought against Michael's hold.

"You get the chance, Cas, you got to --"

"That's enough, Dean. My, he is strong, isn't he, Castiel? Not quite strong enough, though," Michael finished smugly. "I'm sure we'll be seeing you soon, Castiel."

The line went dead. Cas stared at the phone, feeling the first ache of hope warming his grace.

He had to call Sam, they had to research, they had to head to Virginia.

They were going to save Dean.

**Author's Note:**

> also posted on [my tumblr](http://magickmoons.tumblr.com/post/174505923220/bad-company)


End file.
